Daily Meditation for October 20, 2026

Jesus referred to Peter as the rock on which the church would be built (Matthew 16:18). Shortly after this, Jesus calls Peter Satan and a stumbling block (Matthew 16:23). How quickly things changed. Jesus, however, accepted all of Peter – the good, the bad, and the ugly. We are all flawed. We make mistakes, but that is not all of who we are. We are a mixture of goodness, beauty, pain, suffering, mistakes, triumphs, and so much more. Jesus knows us and accepts us as we are. Peter is a saint and leader of the early church not because he did everything perfectly, but because he desired to follow Jesus and God’s will. When he fell, he got back up, supported by Jesus’ love. Jesus’ love embraces our entire being – the holy and not-so-holy parts. May we seek to love in this same way – accepting and embracing ourselves and others for who we are, where we are.

By Catherine Duenne, OSB